Parliamentary Secretary for the Voluntary Sector, Senator Ursula Stephens, has welcomed the announcement of more than $3 million dollars in funding grants to volunteer organisations at the front line of emergency management.
The announcement was made today by the Attorney-General, and will aim to boost recruitment, retention and training.
The $3 million provides funding for 183 projects across Australia, through the National Emergency Volunteer Support Fund.
“The Rudd Labor Government is committed to sponsoring and supporting the work of our volunteers, especially those who protect our local communities when disaster strikes,” Dr Stephens said.
“When bushfires surround our cities and regions, it is volunteers who are out there protecting us, as well as helping communities to recover.
“Australia can be proud of its volunteering tradition, especially in the emergency services sector.
“Around half-a-million people in Australia volunteer their time in emergency management capacities, 350,000 of those on the front line during natural disasters,” said Dr Stephens.
“In a country like Australia, prone to droughts, fires and flooding rains, volunteers are vitally important and we congratulate them for their great work.”
Today’s announcement builds on the Rudd Government’s significant support for volunteers, outlined in the 2008/09 Federal Budget.
The Government expanded the Volunteer Grants Program with an additional $15 million in funding over three years to help community organisations and volunteers pay their petrol bills.
This will bring the total funding for the Volunteer Grants Program to $64 million over the next three years.
Also, volunteer resource centres will receive $16.7 million to train and manage volunteers over the next four years under the Volunteer Management Program.
Details of the projects funded by the National Emergency Volunteer Support Fund can be found on the Emergency Management Australia Website:
www.ema.gov.au/communityengagement